Raglan Castle (Castell Rhaglan)
Description of Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle lies in the county of Monmouthshire in South eastern Wales
near a village with the same name. Today Raglan presents to the visitors
as picturesque ruins harmoniously laying in the Welsch
countryside. However in past it was a formidable citadel that saw some
of the longest and bloodies sieges of its time. The walls and towers
of the Raglan Castle that are preserved today date back to 1435 when they were constructed by
Sir William ap Thomas. Its first owner was knighted as the Blue Knight
of Gwent and also fought at the Battle of Agincourt under command of
English king Henry V in 1415. Current Raglan Castle replaced
the earlier 12th century castle that was build here before. Certain
modifications were later added in the 16th century to strengthen the
position. As many castle in the area Raglan castle fell prey to
Parliamentary army in the time of the English Civil War. Its owner Marquess of Worcester was a strong supporter of monarchy and Charles the
First in particular. In fact English king visited the castle at least
twice. However his time ran out and he lost hid head at a scaffold. The
Marquess felt compelled by his sense of duty to defend the castle, but
on 19 August 1646 he was forced to surrender after thirteen weeks of bloody
siege. The castle fell in disrepair as its military effectiveness have
decreased with improvement of the firearms.
The main part of the castle is very roughly
rectangular, with a large hall in the middle and courtyards on
either side, each surrounded by towers and groups of apartments. The
great tower, or Yellow Tower of Gwent , built as an enclave for the
castellan family, is located in a moat, separated from the rest of
the building, to which it is connected by a drawbridge .
The entrance to the castle is through the white gate (XVI century),
of which very little remains. Originally, this was preceded by the
Red Door , now totally destroyed. Crossing a bridge, past the
monumental gatehouse, you enter the Stone Court , built around 1460,
at the time of Sir William Herbert. The service area, to the right
and up to the kitchen tower, is now almost completely in ruins and
only the foundations indicate the original measurements. On the left
is the surviving wall of the Great Hall , with a superb Erker .
Above there was the chapel, the long gallery and a series of still
visible chimneys. Through the Hall, you enter the Court of the
Fountain, so named for the fountain with the statue of a white
horse, of which only one base remains. All around there are remains
of sumptuous apartments built during the reconstruction of
Elizabethan times . From the castle you have a beautiful view of the
surrounding countryside.